Layers of History
Explore the mosque of Abu'l Hajjaj, built within an ancient Pharaonic temple complex
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One Structure, Many Lives
Even after the Pharaonic era, the impressive temple continued to serve as a holy place. The Romans used it as the cult center of their emperor, and church were built on the site in the 6th century. The mosque was built in the court of Ramesses II over the earlier structures.
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Entering the Mosque
Worshippers enter the mosque from a large square positioned in the heart of the city of Luxor.
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As visitors enter, they leave their shoes and walk down the hallway to the right to the prayer room. But through the large wooden doors is the second reason this mosque is so remarkable...
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The Burial Place of Abu'l Hajjaj
Here is the shrine of Sheikh Yusuf Abu'l Hajjaj, the namesake of the mosque. He was a 13th century Muslim scholar, teacher, and holy man who was born in Baghdad but traveled to Luxor and, according to local legends, captured the town from the Roman Queen Tarzah.
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He is celebrated in Luxor during the moulid, or saints festival, when pilgrims parade boats around the city, echoing the procession of boat shrines used in the ancient Egyptian Opet festival. Pilgrims also visit this shrine to pay their respects to the famous Sheikh.
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Ancient Images
Leaving the shrine and moving towards the prayer rooms, you can see the columns with hieroglyphs, cartouches, and pharaonic imagery that were incorporated into the structure.
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The Prayer Room
In the main room, prayer rugs are laid out facing the direction of Mecca, the holy site which Muslims pray towards.
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The Minbar
At the front is a large wooden minbar, the pulpit from which the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons.
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History and Heritage
Although this is now a site of Islamic worship, remnants remain of the earlier temple, and reminds visitors of the long history of veneration at this holy site.
Preserving History
In 2007 to 2008, the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), with support from USAID, led a documentation and restoration project to help preserve this extraordinary mosque for generations to come.
Luxor Temple Square (2018-11-11)American Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Hallowed Ground
The Abu'l Hajjaj mosque may not be one of the largest or most ornate mosques in Egypt, but it very unique for one special reason: It is built on ancient, sacred ground.
By Eliot ElisofonLIFE Photo Collection
Millenia of Worship
The mosque of Abu’l Hajjaj sits within this ancient Egyptian temple on the shores of the Nile in Luxor, Egypt. The temple was first built in the 14th century BCE and the mosque is still active today, making it one of the oldest continuously used temples in the world.
The temples of Luxor (circa 1900) by Photogr. Artistique G. Lekegian & CiOriginal Source: Image number: DIG 8074
Ancient Egypt's Great Temple
The original temple was built over hundreds of years during Egypt’s New Kingdom (1550–1077 BCE) in the capital city of Thebes. The complex was continuously added to as each Pharaoh sought to make their mark, including Hatshepsut, Tutankhamun, and Ramesses II.
Story by Tessa Litecky
3D scanning of the Abu'l Hajjaj Mosque by Andreas Kostopoulos (ARCE) and Ayman Damarany (MoTA)
To read more about the documentation and restoration of the mosque, visit the ARCE project page.
This story was created in association with a museum exhibition and academic conference titled Exalted Spirits: The Veneration of the Dead in Egypt through the Ages, jointly organized by The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), The American University in Cairo (AUC), and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) in Egypt.
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